Energetic materials may be initiated by initiation or detonation devices. Due to the destructive nature of energetic materials, such as explosives, these devices may incorporate various safety features to avoid premature initiation of the energetic materials. Energetic materials may be ignited in several different ways. Typically, energetic materials have been ignited by flame ignition (e.g., fuzes or ignition of a priming explosive), impact (which often ignites a priming explosive), chemical interaction (e.g., contact with a reactive or activating fluid), or electrical ignition. Electrical ignition may occur in two distinct ways, as by ignition of a priming material (e.g., electrically ignited blasting cap or priming material) or by direct energizing of an explosive mass by electrical power.
Remote activation systems for initiation of energetic materials have been used widely in the field of military and industrial demolition applications. Control systems (e.g., a fireset) may be used to generate an electrical impulse for initiating an energetic material. For example, a blasting cap used in conjunction with an explosive charge (e.g., pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), C4, etc.) can be electrically connected to output terminals of the initiation device using electrical conductors. In many instances, the initiation assembly including an initiation device and associated control system is sensitive to electrical conditions, such as voltage and current transients (e.g., electrostatic discharge (ESD)) and electromagnetic interference (EMI). As a result of this sensitivity, premature initiation of the explosive charge has been known to occur with unacceptable frequency. The results of premature initiation can include unintended damage and/or unintended personal injury or death.
The use of initiation devices with energetic materials, such as non-high explosive materials (e.g., low explosives that decompose primarily through deflagration), may present further problems as non-high explosive materials may be inadvertently ignited by the heating and/or combustion of the initiation device. For example, voltage and current transients in the initiation device and associated control system may cause the unintended heating and combustion of components of the initiation device (e.g., an exploding bridge wire (EBW)). Such unintended heating and combustion may result in the premature initiation of the non-high explosive materials associated with the initiation device.